Arizona
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Cool Down at Pine Haven Cottage in Show Low, Arizona
Photos, story by Cassie Hepler Time to bust out the sweaters and get your leaf peeping on this fall! Or if it’s one of earth’s now brutal summers, escape to a cooler climate up in Northern Arizona for a much needed getaway and nature reset. Much to my Colorado guests surprise and delight, if you drive three hours north of Phoenix you will pop out into a land full of trees, grass and cooler White Mountain air. Pro tip: wait to fill up your gas tank if you can it’s $1 cheaper than in the valley. This feels-like-home cabin in Show Low, Arizona sits in a half acre tucked back…
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Recharge in Nature at Arizona’s Artists Home in Cottonwood
Story, photos by Cassie Hepler The Arizona artist’s home in Cottonwood, Arizona is a nature lovers dream! Tucked back on cross streets with a walking path across the street, it beckons you to come explore the steam that leads into the Verde River where you can grab one of the many floats or kayaks from the garage and enjoy a day of peaceful tranquility among the hummingbirds. This 3 bedroom, 2 bath home is thoughtfully designed by Kirsten Snyder of Ocotillo Nature Homes with retro and brand boutique touches throughout. The name Ocotillo means “little torch” in Spanish and is a plant that produces clusters of bright red flowers at…
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Elvis is Alive at Wild West Town Blazin’ M Ranch in Cottonwood
Story, photos by Cassie Hepler Mosey on up North in Arizona to the Wild West town of Blazin’ M Ranch in Cottonwood, Arizona for an evening of fun, fantasy and food! We met this fun crew at the Verde Valley Wine Festival and liked their kind of weird. Then we found out Elvis was coming to town and it was on like Donkey Kong! And even better yet, they are adding on overnight stays in the covered wagons on this plush green property starting this fall so you can be completely immersed in nature and those funky Western vibes. Just a 20 minute drive from Sedona, the Blazin’ M Ranch…
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How to Become a Successful Muralist and Nomad
Story by Irina Abraham, Photos by Irina Abraham, Justin from Mobile Dwellings, and Amy Nicole Hodges So, you decided to follow your dreams. You quit your “serious” day job and moved into a camper. The road stretches far into the horizon in front of you, the wind is blowing in your hair. You got your spray cans, brushes, sketchbooks and your heart, flaming with the desire to live your best life as an unapologetically free artist. Now what? Tim C. Abraham set out on his brave cross-country adventure after he had lost his day job in the shipping industry, which priced him out of his Jersey City rent. A quite…
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Polish Your Soul and Your Plate in Sedona, Arizona
Photos, story by Cassie Hepler When you receive a last minute press trip invite to Sedona, Arizona on 11/11, you go. Those in alignment numbers represent a powerful opportunity to connect with your inner self and begin some kick ass spiritual growth. It also signifies that a period of change is about to start within you. And literally earlier that week, the shift was already in motion. So I delved into the energy vortex abyss that is the high vibe of Sedona for a magical weekend! But first we had to swing by the brand new Cove Mesa Vineyard in Cornville, AZ to enjoy a wine tasting and meet the…
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Cool Down Inside Pristine Kartchner Caverns in Benson, AZ
Story by Cassie Hepler, photos & video submitted by AZ State Park Super hard to pronounce but worth the drive South, Kartchner Caverns was a very memorable highlight of exploring Cochise County in Southern Arizona. So much so that it has been on my mind through the sale of my condo, purchase of a house and finally getting settled again in North Phoenix, AZ! The attention to the ecological preservation was amazing to me coming from Pennsylvania where people just jump into caves with no real care for the ecosystem at all. I also recall a family vacation to Arkansas where my brother was allowed to climb all over the…
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Women Putting Arizona Wines on the Map
Story by Cassie Hepler & Arizona Office of Tourism, Submitted Photos Before I was a twinkle in my mother’s eye, she lived in Arizona back in the 70’s being an adventurous hippy with her little yellow VW bug and working at a grocery store in the meat department. She started out in Yuma, AZ before there was any sort of land development then worked her way over to Prescott, AZ. And one of her dreams was to open a vineyard in Arizona. Fate had other plans as she met my father in Pennsylvania who wisked her back East and my brother and I were born. But funny how I ended…
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Round Up Your Squad, Ride Horses and Chill at Rancho de la Osa in Sasabe, Arizona
Story, video and photos by Cassie Hepler With newfound horseback riding skills giving me courage from sister ranch White Stallion, I ventured all the way down by the Mexican border to Rancho de la Osa in Sasabe, Arizona, about an hour and a half southwest of Tucson. And when I say by the Mexican border, I mean almost on it. You can see the wall from the ranch through the high desert grassland. Surrounded by about 120,000 acres of the Buenos Aires Wildlife Refuge, Rancho de la Osa is the most historic ranch in Arizona. You can ride the same trails as U.S. presidents and famous figures like Pancho Villa…
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Art Car World Bringing Burning Man Vibes to Douglas, Arizona
Story, photos by Cassie Hepler Zooming straight away from my bed and breakfast in Bisbee to Douglas, Arizona is a short half hour ride out of the mountains and relatively easy to find at the newish location of Art Car World at 450 E. 8th St. Street, Douglas, AZ 85607. I met up with Harrod Blank, the brains and brand behind the mission outside and he was excited to share his master plans with me. Harrod has that kind of personality that you immediately take to, or maybe I did because we both have that one parent was all business and the other a hippy background. Regardless, we were fast…
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Bisbee, Arizona Staying Spooky, Strange and Surprisingly Hip
Story, photos by Cassie Hepler Fresh from a couple overnights in the small city of Willcox, Arizona, I hiked that morning and drove the 1.5 hours down to Bisbee, Arizona ready to tear into some food! Located in the Mule Mountains of southeast Arizona, the city has a solid copper-mining past and only a little over 5,000 residents making it more of a small town feel. With a thriving arts, music and hospitality scene, it is a place for all the free spirits to join – including ones that are not alive. The energy is heavy and historical here. For someone who is sensitive to ghosts and the supernatural, I…
